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Weddings are a big deal. You don’t have to be a Christian, you don’t have to have grown up going to Church, to sense the importance most people place on weddings. Lots of non-Christians, former Christians, pagans and heathens of every nation still like to have big wedding celebrations. Even with the extremely high divorce rate (even among Christian couples), the wedding industry remains very active. Statistics would appear to indicate the size and celebration of weddings have very little to do with how long marriages last; the faithfulness of husbands and wives to their marriage vows, to each other, and to God does not seem to increase with the cost of the wedding. Even couples who sin by acting like they’re already married before they are married, often still think weddings are a big deal.
Today’s scripture readings don’t have much to do with the sixth commandment, but they do mention the first; St. Paul mentions how pagans are led astray by mute idols. And one of the biggest mute idols by which pagans and even Christians are tempted to be led astray, is the dumb idol of self-satisfaction and personal happiness, especially when it comes to that most intimate relationship of marriage.
In Texas, when a man and a woman want to live together for the rest of their lives and they aren’t already related to each other, they are supposed to get their life-long commitment recognized by the authority God has given to the state of Texas.
On the other hand, a cohabitating couple is a couple who pretends to be married, even though they have not promised to take care of each other for the rest of their lives. In God’s eyes, this intimate way of living each day without God’s gift of marriage is an abomination. This arrangement is sinful because it mocks the good and sacred institution of holy matrimony God created for Adam, his wife, and all their descendants. God didn’t give marriage to the animals; He gave it to mankind. For men and women to choose to live like animals rather than as God would have us live, desecrates God’s gift of marriage and God’s gift of life for the creatures He has made in His image.
When a cohabitating couple is given the gift of being sorry for their sin and decides to repent and either live separately until they are married or to finally get married without delay, this is a great reason to celebrate—the angels in heaven shout for joy when even one sinner repents. But it amazes me how many cohabitating couples have approached Christian pastors, especially young Christian pastors, and while they sincerely desire to commit the rest of their lives to each other, they have no desire to publicly repent of their sin and have absolutely no desire to let their Christian community know they repent of their sin; then, they expect the pastor and congregation to play along as though what they’ve been doing before God and everybody is still some kind of secret or as though there’s actually nothing wrong with it and therefore no need for even one, single, solitary public sign of repentance to show everyone that what they were doing in their bedrooms under the false cover of darkness was deadly wrong and that they are sorry for not keeping the marriage bed pure; besides sinning against God, another big problem with not keeping the marriage bed pure is that it’s usually not a secret. If it was a secret, their impurity would only harm the couple. But because it never is an absolute secret, it harms everyone who knows about it. What leaves me flabbergasted are the parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, who enable and even support the sin of their children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. They don’t see anything wrong with it and they expect the pastor and congregation to let it slide without providing any public announcement of the couple’s repentance.
When this rebellion against God happens, it’s because none of them is truly repentant. The shame they’re afraid of feeling, if the sin was publicly repented of, reveals their unbelief. They don’t believe the sin is forgiven. Or, they’re afraid of the earthly consequences. Or, if they believe God forgives it, and aren’t afraid of the earthly consequences, they don’t believe the Christian community will be Christian about it. To be clear, the Christian community must forgive sins that are repented of. Anyone who does not forgive sin that is repented of is in danger of not having his own sins forgiven. Jesus is absolutely clear about this. “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, “I repent”, you must forgive him.” (St. Luke 17) And “if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will Your Father forgive your trespasses.” (St. Matthew 6)
Listen up! single young men… and old… do NOT fool yourselves. When your vehicle is parked in her driveway or in front of her apartment all night, all her neighbors know what’s going on, even if you do leave before the morning light. When your mailing address is the same as hers, not only do her neighbors know what’s going on, so does everyone in the post office, the county clerk’s office, everyone at city hall, at the department of public safety, those involved in voter registration, and the landlord. Everyone who sends you Christmas cards and birthday cards knows what’s going on. If the sin of fornication was kept private, it could be handled privately. But when your fornication becomes a matter of public record, forget about handling it privately. Public sins effect everyone in the community…all your neighbors…all your family members…all the sheep in the Lord’s flock, old and young.
If the public sin isn’t recognized publicly, it becomes a temptation for others to stumble over—a real Biblical scandal. It’s a sin that causes little brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble and some to fall. It destroys churches. Just look at the statistics. Every year more and more women are living with their partners rather than marrying them. More and more women are engaging in activities God has reserved only for married couples. These unrepentant sins are leading others to sin. Besides the health risks the Center For Disease Control warns us about, Jesus has some very serious spiritual warnings for those who cause His little brothers and sisters to sin. (Mt 18:6, Mk 9:42, Lk 17:2) It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a giant millstone tied around their necks, Jesus says. Think about that. Picture it in your heads. Jesus would rather take all fornicating men and women on the beach during Spring Break and drown them in the Gulf of Mexico, than see them lead one of His little brothers or sisters to sin. It’s a miracle there aren’t more hurricanes and other deadly acts of God.
If the public sin isn’t publicly condemned by the Christian community, the Christian community would appear to participate in lying to everyone (to themselves, to the community at large, and to the couple) by making everyone think the God they represent, and in Whose Name they are Baptized doesn’t care about their sin and that there are no consequences for sin.
All our sinful natures are tempted by Satan to think,
“If they can do it, why can’t I?”
“Does God really condemn something I think feels so good?”
If a Christian community neglects to condemn what God has condemned, and
forgive what God has forgiven it ceases to represent the one true God as it
begins to represent the mute idols of personal preference and convenience.
God forbid.
Like its Bridegroom, Jesus, the Christian community bears one another’s sins.
God does not want other couples to look at any fornicating couple and think they might be a good example to follow in how to prepare for marriage. It absolutely astounded me when I once heard an anti-Christian pastor, a wolf in shepherd’s clothing, once hold up an unrepentant, cohabitating couple as an example for others to follow. Not only did he say others should follow their example, he said he and his fiancé looked to the cohabitating couple as a great example to follow of how to prepare for their marriage. It breaks God’s heart when false shepherds defend fornicating couples and their lack of repentance. Lord, have mercy. Bring these dear people to full knowledge of Your true love and bring them to full repentance in Your Son.
Every time a Biblical text speaks of marriage, I’m overcome by the need to warn the saints of the terrible condition and lack of respect the world has for marriage; how sin and Satan has corrupted the minds of so many people, even among the Christians, families, parents, children and, now, even entire communities (entire congregations) that want to consider themselves Christian while they permit and even celebrate couples living in sin.
Despite the lack of respect and increase in corruption of marriage going on in this world, Jesus still considers weddings and marriages a very big deal.
Marriage is meant to be celebrated. Weddings should be enjoyed. God bless all of you waiting for God to provide the husband or wife you will have for the rest of your lives. God bless all of you who have found and kept a Godly and forgiving wife or husband. God bless all of you who, despite the unGodliness of your spouse (and of your own), still honor your wedding vows as much as you are allowed by law. God bless all of you who examine yourselves and repent of your sins against each other. May God bless you with many more years of increasing happiness and peace as you daily return to the bliss of being united in Christ (and by Christ) by looking not at each others’ sins but to Christ Who is our heavenly Bridegroom.
Our heavenly Bridegroom, Jesus, His Blessed Mother, and His disciples were all invited to the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. The wedding ran out of wine. Jesus made more. A lot more. He made it from water. And He made it taste better than the other wine. He warned His Blessed Mother, that His Time had not yet come. She told the servants to listen to her Son. They did. They brought the water become wine to the Feast Master. The Feast Master served the water now become wine provided by Jesus, Who is the Master of the Feast of Heaven. Today, the Master of the Feast of Heaven serves His saints every Lord’s Day and on other Feast Days. Thanks be to God.
The wedding in Cana of Galilee was a big deal, and the wine at the wedding was kind of a big deal, too. Wine gladdens the heart and makes it merry and there’s nothing wrong with having glad and merry hearts … as long as you don’t overdo it or become overcome by it. After all is said and done, after all the wedding wine is drunk and marriage meats and betrothal bread eaten, it’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person (St. Matthew 15:11,18).
Unless I’m mistaken, and this could be significant, this is the only wedding feast in Scripture at which we hear Jesus is present until we hear about the marriage feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom that will never end in Revelation 19:9.
When the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets and apostles to speak of God’s relationship with His People, He inspired them to speak of it like a marriage. In Christ, all your sins are forgiven! By faith in Christ crucified and risen, you are counted, we are all counted among the Chosen People of God.
Listen now, to how the Lord’s Prophet was inspired to speak of God’s Holy Bride.
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until Her Righteousness goes forth as brightness, and Her Salvation as a burning torch.
The nations shall see your Righteousness, and all the kings your Glory, and you shall be called by a New Name that the mouth of the LORD will give.
You shall be a Crown of Beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a Royal Diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be Married.
For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your sons marry you, and as the Bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.
And listen now, to how the Psalmist describes the Love of God, Your Bridegroom, and the generous abundance of His House:
[The Lord] brought me to the Banqueting House,* and His banner over me was Love.
Your Steadfast Love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,* Your Faithfulness to the clouds.
Your Righteousness is like the mountains of God;* Your Judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.
How precious is Your Steadfast Love, O God!* The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of Your House,* and You give them drink from the river of Your Delights.
For with You is the Fountain of Life;* in Your Light do we see Light.
As we continue to live our days and weeks feasting on You, Lord, in Your Word and Sacrament, mercifully hear the prayers of Your people and grant us Your Peace through all our days; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen